Do you think folks convert at a single moment or do you think it happens (for some) over time? Do you think it happens different for different people — some all at once and others over time? Let me give a big sociological sketch first. Studies reveal that folks, in a general sense, “convert” to the Christian faith in one of three basic ways: through a church process of being nurtured into the faith, through another church process of ongoing... Read more
I don’t know if you saw this, but our President-Elect Barack Obama is proving that he wants to work with conservatives (and evangelicals) by asking Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration. We are happy for Rick Warren, who has come under too much fire of late. Our post yesterday on fundamentalist flip-flopping helps explain the hue and cry against Obama by those in the Democratic Party. Inauguration Day is a day to demonstrate national unity, not partisanship. Read more
I recently read Anne Rice’s memoir (Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession ); the good folks at Beliefnet got me in touch with Anne for an interview — and I’m most grateful for her time and for her answers. Here is the first of two sets of questions: Anne, your memoir singularly describes a girlhood of beauty and sensory experience and then a sensory-experience conversion, and my question is this: If it is accurate to observe a sensory dimension... Read more
One of my favorite Advent figures is Simeon, another witness to Advent being the act of God to form the new Messiah-led community. Notice what Simeon says when God reveals to him that the little baby in the Temple is the Messiah — from Luke 2: 25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 It had been revealed to... Read more
A friend of mine recently said that theologians can say just about anything about anything about Jesus but to say something fresh or innovative or out of the ordinary about Scripture is to invite trouble. I suppose what is said in the chapter about “The Battle over the Bible” in Adam Hamilton’s Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White: Thoughts on Religion, Morality, and Politics will invite response and some reaction. Why? Most people have very firm views of... Read more
Steven Waldman, editor of Beliefnet, recently sat down with Rick Warren for an interview, and in the midst of that interview Rick Warren said a negative thing or two about the social gospel. Waldman’s had several posts about the interview. Paul Rauschenbush, grandson of Walter Rauschenbusch, the architect of the social gospel, came out swinging and I thought Paul was unfair to Warren and needlessly trashed him. So I pushed back on his blog … and was I surprised by... Read more
Notice how Zechariah’s vision of what God is about to do on the First Advent was completely shaped by building the community of God in this world: 67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:68 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70 (as he said through his holy prophets of long... Read more
In the last post in this series I suggested that one of the important issues in the current discussion of science and faith in our culture deals with knowing; how do we “know” and understand? None of us can know everything in every subject. How many of us really understand particle physics, quantum mechanics, genetics, geophysics, ANE culture and language, or how many of us read Greek and have real expertise in 1st century Roman and Jewish culture? We all... Read more
When Kris and I got to the airport in Atlanta Sunday afternoon, we had one of those “Did all that just happen to us?” moments. Some of you may know that I was asked to preach at North Point Community Church, which meant three Sunday sermons … 9am, 11am, and 12:45pm. I’ll begin at the beginning. We had an evening to dream of: Bill and Terry Willitts, leaders at North Point who have become friends knew someone who knew someone... Read more
The acts of advent, those actions that advent generates, include adoration, activism, and building community. Any reading of the birth stories, those stories that are designed to shape how we understanding Advent, reveals how central it is to God to form God’s people. Notice these words of the angel to Mary from Luke 1: 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid,... Read more
Jesus Creed
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In